Filed under: Akbash, CCD, Colorado, Divide Creek Animal Hospital, July 4th, aggression, agitation, alaskan malamute, canine compulsive disorder, clomapramine, crazy bitch, dog behavior, dog fight, dog story, dogland, dogs, fear, firecrackers, fireworks, lake powell, obsession, rehabilitation, tibbetts
Even though nothing bad happened when Venus snuck out of the garage and barked at that guy, we didn’t ignore her behavior. With CCD any change in behavior can indicate the dog is out of balance – in this case Venus. Then we look for reasons why she might be out of balance.
On Tuesday evening before her escape, Tod had put the camper on the pickup because he needed to take it in for some minor repairs. But Venus and Zeus didn’t know that. All they know is camper on the pickup means we’re going somewhere. We assumed Venus snuck out so she could be closer to the camper just in case we were leaving soon.
We were getting ready to go to Lake Powell. But the dogs had to wait a whole week before the trip actually happened. During that week she definitely fixated on the camper. But that’s what the whole “practice, practice, practice” thing is all about, which Dr. Pearce and I had discussed in May. Venus has to learn to cope with the summer activities and changes in routine. In contrast Zeus acted more cheerful. I could tell he was excited about the camper being on the pickup but he was content to wait.
We left for Lake Powell on Tuesday, June 16. Our granddaughter, Hailey came along so Venus rode in the camper and Zeus sat in the backseat with Hailey. Venus has ridden in the camper many times but she acted more anxious about it than she needed to be. We have a 2-way thermometer to monitor temperature in the camper, which was in the low 70s so she was fine.
For the most part, the trip went well for Venus and Zeus. They’ve been to Lake Powell many times. They enjoy boating, swimming, and camping. The weather wasn’t as hot as usual, high 80s during the day and low 60s at night, which was very comfortable for them. To get to the boat the dogs have a long walk out onto 2 busy docks past other boats, people, and dogs coming and going. I walked them on leashes with one hand they were so calm.
Yet we did notice behavior patterns in Venus that seemed a little off.
On Wednesday, we took the boat out to a favorite spot we call Zeus’s Cove. For 2 hours, Venus obsessed about the lizards in the rocks. She hunted them relentlessly. No matter how many times we distracted her, she always went back to the lizards. She barely swam. She just chased lizards.
This is what Zeus did while Venus chased lizards.
Venus didn’t stand still long enough to shoot photos of her.
She has always chased lizards at Lake Powell and Moab. But we’ve always been able to distract her. This time it was harder to distract her.
The next day she was so exhausted from chasing lizards the day before she only chased lizards for about an hour, then she passed out on the boat under the dashboard where it was too dark to take pictures.
Our boat isn’t very big so it’s pretty close quarters for 2 adults, 1 child, and 2 big dogs. But they were well-behaved on the boat.
On the boat ride back to the marina I noticed Venus staring at Zeus. I distracted her and she moved away and ignored him.
Back at the campground, a group of teen boys ran foot races on the road past our campsite. Venus was tied but she went nuts barking and jumping. She was really agitated and didn’t calm down until they stopped running.
After supper she passed out from exhaustion before sunset. Shortly after dark, a man who was setting up camp across the road from us walked into our campsite without a flashlight and started asking questions about the campground in a loud voice. He startled the three of us so of course he startled the dogs. Venus woke up out of dead sleep and freaked. She didn’t attack the man or go near him, she just went nuts again barking. I took her inside the camper but it took awhile to calm her down. Eventually she fell asleep.
On the trip back home she was too exhausted to be agitated about riding in the camper. I thought about her mood swings and wondered whether she had fun or if she had simply worn herself out.
On Saturday at Dogland she seemed normal but I noticed that Lucy, the black Lab, and Honey, the Cocker Spaniel, avoided her.
At 7:30 pm that evening, someone in the neighborhood exploded a string of firecrackers. Both dogs were in the house. As I have mentioned, Zeus hates fireworks. He stood abruptly and fled downstairs. I walked calmly to the kitchen to fetch the PetCalm. More firecrackers exploded. Zeus, still agitated, came back upstairs and walked over to his water dish in the kitchen. Venus was lying about 3 feet away from him. In less than 10 seconds she jumped up and grabbed him by the neck, above his spiked collar. Tod was right there and called her off mid-strike but she didn’t listen. I filled a pitcher with water and dumped it on her head. She let go.
As Tod separated them, Zeus went after Venus. He was totally pissed. He bit her on the cheek. Tod separated them again. The whole thing lasted about 90 seconds. Neither Tod or I were bitten. Zeus has a bite on his neck and Venus has a bite on her cheek.
We’ve been keeping them separated since, except when we go to Dogland or take them for leashed walks. We put Zeus on PetCalm twice a day to get us through fireworks season.
On Monday, I took Venus to the vet. Dr. Pearce is on vacation this week, so we saw Dr. Langegger. He is familiar with Venus’s case and I brought him up to date on her mood swings that culminated in her aggression toward Zeus.
We discussed and agonized over whether to increase her Clomapramine dosage to 100 mg twice a day without consulting Dr. Pearce. Eventually we came to the conclusion it’s what we must do to get her through the summer.
Each unusual behavior by itself is probably no cause for concern. But all together they form a pattern of unbalanced energy. Her aggression toward Zeus showed us that she’s losing control.
Last Saturday was not the first time Zeus has been freaked out by loud noises since Venus has been on the Clomapramine. We’ve dealt with fireworks on New Years and Cinco de Mayo, countless thunderstorms, gunshots, and engines backfiring. In all those situations, Venus did not attack Zeus. Sometimes we ordered her to ignore him, sometimes she ignored him on her own, and sometimes she even helped him calm down.
Dr. Langegger doesn’t think the mood swings and aggression necessarily mean her CCD is progressing. More likely her behavior indicates she’s not coping well with the changes in her routine that summer brings. She’s feeling a loss of control. She’s out of balance. And summer’s just getting started. And fireworks season is upon us. And Zeus hates fireworks. And his fear makes Venus fearful, too.
If the PetCalm doesn’t show signs of helping Zeus by Monday, Dr. Langegger wants us to consider putting him on 25 mg of Clomapramine to get him through the next few weeks, then take him off. He wants me to call Dr. Pearce on Monday and let her know how both dogs are doing.
Initially Tod and I felt sad about this setback. Venus was doing so well on the lower dose, we were disappointed that we had to increase it. But she has to learn to cope with change. In order for her to practice calm, balanced energy, her mind has to be able to focus. With every disease there are setbacks. Ten years ago we were dealing with our Malamute, Apollo’s osteosarcoma. We encountered a steady stream of setbacks. By comparison, this is nothing.
Besides we don’t have time to dwell on our own feelings. We’re back to upstairs dog and downstairs dog, and Chinese fire drill with dogs. The important thing is to keep Venus moving forward. The increased dose has begun to balance out her highs and lows. We’re beginning to see sustained calm energy from her again.
Wednesday night we heard a few firecrackers. Zeus was upstairs, Venus downstairs. The gate was shut. Zeus reacted by perking up his satellite dish ears, and looking alarmed. But he was lying down and didn’t get up. I ignored him and he calmed down. Venus didn’t react at all.
About an hour later we heard a huge bang, which we think was a car accident a few blocks away because sirens followed. Venus was upstairs, Zeus downstairs, gate shut. Venus reacted to the bang. She looked alarmed and stood up. “Everything’s okay,” I told her. “Lie down.” She did. I didn’t check on Zeus because we don’t like to overreact to loud noises. He didn’t come upstairs to the gate so we assumed he heard it, felt fearful, then calmed down.
BTW, it’s been a really strange week. Busy. Stressful. But I just wanted to say that my cats don’t fight or exhibit any nervous energy like Venus. They all love each other. They are so mellow. The contrast just blows my mind sometimes …
I will post regular updates through fireworks season as we restore calm, balanced energy to our pack.
Read the Crazy Bitch series. Or click on the handy links provided on the left.
Filed under: adopt a cat month, animal shelter, cats, crazy, himalayans, persians
Most people know me as a dog lover. Once upon a time I was known as the Crazy Cat Lady. For 16 years, I bred and raised Himalayans and Persians. At one point I had 15 cats and kittens. I closed my cattery 9 years ago for many reasons. I got into breeding purebred cats to perpetuate the Himalayan and Persian breeds and promote good health. As much as I loved raising these gorgeous creatures, the high cost of advertising combined with the increasing difficulty of finding good homes for the kittens affected my decision. My favorite part was having kittens around all the time. I do miss the kittens.
In honor of Adopt a Cat Month I decided to share photos of my very own stunning cat crew.
Aurora is a bluecream tortoiseshell point. At 14 years old, she pretty much runs the place. She’s quite bossy but very affectionate. Aurora is the only cat who will greet visitors. The others run and hide. Aurora’s claim to fame is that she can swat birds out of air, even hummingbirds — much to my horror!
Yoda is 10 years old. Our only male. He is a lilac point, which means his points are actually pale red. A curious characteristic of the lilac point is the coat tends to change color. F’rinstance when he’s really cold he looks pure white. When the sunlight hits him just right he glows pink. I’ve never been able to capture the pink on film though. You’ll just have to take my word for it. Yoda’s favorite place to hang loose is on our back deck. It’s a second story deck with no stairs, just treetops. It’s a lot like a tree house. We feed birds and he supervises the whole operation. Except Yoda’s way too laid back to kill birds. He’d much rather eat flowers. He prefers pansies and roses. The upper deck is a perfect spot for the cats. They can be outdoors and watch birds, but they can never escape. Himalayans aren’t into climbing trees.
This is my sweet little Polly, a bluecream point. She recently turned 9 years old but she’s still our forever kitten. She looks and acts as playful as a kitten. Her favorite toys are small fuzzy balls. She carries them around and stashes them in every room. She follows me wherever I go. She hangs out with me in my office and will do just about anything for Whiskas Temptations. She has no bad habits. She is my perfect little kitty.
Echo is 8 years old, and so named because she is practically a clone of her mother Aurora, therefore she is also a bluecream tortie point. Echo is our fraidy cat. As a kitten she used to like to weave in and out of the stairway banister. One day when she was only 12 weeks old, I turned on the Salad Shooter and didn’t know she was playing on the banister. It scared the crap out her. She jumped and fell to the first floor. She hollered a lot then seemed okay. I took her to the vet and they kept her overnite for observation and ran a few tests. She checked out okay but she has never been the same since. She’s afraid of everything and everyone, except the other cats. Moments after taking this photo, she bolted into the bedroom and hid under the bed. We have a chair in our bedroom we call the petting chair because it’s the only chair where Echo will allow us to pet her. Our bedroom is her favorite hiding place, when she’s not out on the deck. Although during the past 6 months or so she has been spending more and more time outside the bedroom and cozying up to us on a more regular basis. I’m pretty sure she has a screw loose somewhere but we love her anyway.
Three of these cats were born in my home, except Yoda, and raised by me. Yoda came from Starseekers (used to be located in Bailey, CO, now NH) when he was 9 weeks old.
If you are interested in adopting a Persian or Himalayan check out these organizations:
Flat Faced Friends Rescue (Colorado)
Persian and Himalayan Cat Rescue
Please remember that Persians and Himalayans are INDOOR CATS ONLY.
Filed under: Akbash, CCD, Silt, canine compulsive disorder, crazy bitch, dog story, dogs, gene duran, harassment, investigation, rehabilitation, tibbetts, town ordinances, vicious attack
Early Wednesday morning, June 10, Tod opened the garage door and took out the garbage. Unbeknownst to him, Venus snuck out. Just before 7:00 am we heard her barking. When Tod went outside he saw Venus in the middle of the street barking at a young man dressed in a long black jacket and black cap as he walked by. She had scared him and he stopped, which caused her to bark louder because she sensed his fear. Tod called to her and she retreated. He apologized to the young man who grumbled en español and walked on.
Venus was about 15-20 feet away from the guy. She didn’t bite him. She didn’t touch him. She barked at him. I witnessed the whole thing from my bedroom window.
At 8:00 am we took Venus and Zeus to Dogland. Afterward I dropped Tod at the office and picked up my grandkids, Hailey and Bodi. When I arrived home with the 2 dogs and 2 kids just before 9:00 am, there was a police car parked in front.
“She didn’t …” I muttered to myself.
“What’d you say?” Hailey asked.
“Oh look. The policeman’s here. Wonder what that’s all aboot.” I laughed.
As I unloaded dogs and kids, Officer Befuddle came to the door. I greeted him cheerfully.
“Did your yellow Lab get out this morning by any chance?” he asked politely.
I laughed. “Yeah. She snuck out when Tod took out the garbage. She barked at a guy walking by. She scared him. Tod was on it right away and apologized to the guy.”
He grinned and let out a sigh. “Okay. I’m just following up on a complaint about a vicious dog attack. It wasn’t that guy who complained. It was someone who said they witnessed a vicious dog attack.”
Oh yes. She did.
“So she didn’t bite anyone or anything like that?” he asked.
“Oh no.” I laughed again. “She just barked. She scared him. That’s understandable. But nothing happened.”
Officer Befuddle thanked me and went on his merry way.
“She didn’t,” Tod said when I called him.
“It must have been Mrs. Bully cuz it happened right in front of their house. The Officer said it was a witness who complained,” I said.
“I think Mr. Bully had already left for work,” Tod added.
Looks like the Bullys are up to their old tricks again. School’s been out a couple weeks so Mrs. Bully and the boys are home all day. Like toxic fracking chemicals their negative energy seeps through the neighborhood. How can people live like that day in and day out? Maybe they’re just bored and have nothing better to do than pick on us old people across the street.
In some respects this comes as no surprise. It’s a pattern. They’re always waiting for us to screw up. Like dog poo we stepped in it. Seems they’ve graduated from barking dog complaints to – say what? Vicious dog attack? Oh please. Now where would they come up with the notion that Venus is a vicious dog?
I recalled an interesting phone conversation I had with the Town Attorney Gene Duran on March 2. I had called him to request that the Town revise the barking dog ordinance to include a warning provision, require at least 2 witnesses, and address the issue of provocation.
While we were discussing my recommendations Mr. Duran said, “You should also know that the vicious dog ordinance is out of date and needs to be addressed. I will be looking at that also, along with several other ordinances that need updating.”
Here’s what Silt Municipal Code says about vicious dogs:
6.04.200 Vicious dogs–Slaying of certain dogs.
A. If any dog bites, attacks, snaps at, or tears the clothing in an attempt to bite any person or persons, on public or private property, without provocation, or kills or injures any domestic animal, and that fact is reported to the chief of police or a member of the police department and is proven in municipal court, that dog shall be deemed and declared by the municipal court to be a vicious animal.
B. Such animal shall be confined to the premises of the owner, possessor, custodian, or supervisory controller of the dog, and if the dog is off of the property of the owner, possessor, custodian, or supervisory controller of the dog on a required leash, it shall also be muzzled with a muzzle of sufficient strength to prevent its biting any person or domestic animal.
C. Any such vicious dog that is found un-muzzled and running at large may be seized and killed without notice to the owner, possessor, custodian, or supervisory controller.
D. If any vicious, dangerous, fierce, or infected dog running at large cannot be safely caught and impounded, such dog may be slain by any police officer.
(Ord. 19-02 § 1 (part): Ord. 5, Series of 1989 (part); Ord. 14, Series of 1979 (part): Ord. 36 § 13, 1963)
The 2 ordinances Mr. Duran and I discussed have yet to be updated or revised but I understand too well how slowly the wheels of government turn. Moreover it was what he said and how he said it that hit me after I hung up. Why did Duran specifically mention the vicious dog ordinance? Why didn’t he just say several of the animal ordinances in general? Why did he say “you should know”? Was he trying to tell me something? Had someone brought the vicious dog ordinance to his attention for a reason?
The Bullys had made it clear during mediation last year that they wanted us to get rid of Venus. Have they been reading my Crazy Bitch series? Were they thinking of using my blog against me to go after someone I love? Wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened.
Some of the incidents during Venus’s meltdown which I described in the Crazy Bitch series could be interpreted as falling into the category of 6.04.200.A. However before, during, and after her meltdown, Venus was undergoing veterinary care from Dr. Cheryl Pearce at Divide Creek Animal Hospital. None of those incidents were reported to the police. In addition we have documented evidence that Venus was harassed and provoked by the Bullys and by police officers. And all of that is in the past.
On the morning of June 10 nothing happened. At least nothing that remotely resembles what’s described in the vicious dog ordinance. Venus escaped. Venus barked at a guy. Venus retreated on verbal command. End of story. To call that a “vicious dog attack” is a joke. But we already know no one in that family has a sense of humor.
This is no joke.
I’ll go out on a limb here. Let’s say that Duran was giving me a warning – sort of a heads up – that Mr. Bully was poking around in the vicious dog ordinance looking for a bone to pick with us over Venus’s meltdown. Let’s say Bully was told that the ordinance would only apply to a current incident and would require a victim or witness complaint. Let’s say Bully’s been lying in the weeds waiting for any little thing so he can blow it up into a big thing, then use the police department to harass us – again.
The only vicious attack that happened on Wednesday came from the Bullys.
Read the Crazy Bitch series. Or click on the handy links provided on the left.
Filed under: CARE, CLAWS, Colorado, June, Rifle, Silt, adopt a cat month, animal shelter, cats, kittens
Spring means lots of new cats and kittens arriving at animal shelters daily. That’s why June is known as Adopt a Cat Month at animal shelters across the country.
Here are the Top 10 reasons why cats make such good pets:
#10 – Cats will keep you entertained with their playful antics.
# 9 – Cats are very affectionate and love to cuddle with you.
# 8 – Having a cat can reduce your blood pressure and prevent heart disease.
# 7 – Cats are very clean — they bathe themselves!
# 6 – Cats are independent and can be left alone while you are at work.
# 5 – Cats do not need to be housebroken — using the litter box comes naturally to them.
# 4 – Cats do not need a lot of space. They are perfect pets for apartments and smaller homes.
# 3 – Taking care of a cat can help teach a child responsibility and humane values.
# 2 – Cats get plenty of exercise living indoors. Just 15 minutes of playtime each day will satisfy a cat.
And the #1 reason why you should adopt a cat in June –
Approximately 4 million homeless cats end up in animal shelters every year in the United States. By adopting, you’ll be saving a life.
For more tips on cat care and adopting a cat visit the American Humane Association’s Cat Care section.
Local shelters have plenty of cats and kitten to choose from.
The Friends of the Rifle Animal Shelter have over 50 cats and kittens available for adoption. Who can resist these adorable faces?
Check out the kittens at Rifle Animal Shelter.
If you’re looking for a purebred this cutie pie is an adorable Siamese.
Click here to see more cats and kittens at The Friends of the Rifle Animal Shelter.
CARE (Colorado Animal Rescue) in Glenwood Springs also has lots of cats and kittens ready for adoption.
Consider adopting an older cat like Tarzan. He’s a hugger and a lap cat. He’s also a special needs kitty. He has FIV so he can only be placed in a home without other cats.
Cassidy is an exotic looking 2-year old Siamese mix. She’s shy and sensitive and in need of someone to coax her out of her tortoise shell.
Click here to see more cats and kittens at CARE.
CLAWS (The Cats League and Assistance of the Western Slope) has opened a new permanent shelter to provide housing and services to abandoned tame cats, because “Cats’ Lives Are Worth Saving.” The new facility is located at 2214 Sanford Drive, Grand Junction, CO. Read more about the new facility here.
They are showing one beautiful black and white Manx named Katie at Petfinder.
To inquire about more available cats and kittens visit the CLAWS website.
Go to Petfinder to find about availability of cats and kittens in your area. Just enter your zip code.
Read more tips on cat adoption, including How to Throw a Kitten Shower. Doesn’t that sound like fun?
Filed under: Silt, annexation, autumn ridge, betsy suerth, bobby hays, development, dogland, free speech, freedom of information act, gale carmoney, mayor moore, mayor pro-tem, meredith robinson, nicky leigh, public hearing, river park, tibbetts, town board, town government, trustee
We – meaning Tod and I – attended the Tuesday night (5/26) Town Board meeting. Tod had some unfinished business with the B&L Liquor Depot liquor license and I just tagged along so I could practice law without a license.
Tod testified at the Town Liquor Board hearing on the change of address for the B&L liquor license. The main point of his testimony was to inform the Board that the old liquor inventory from the 115 N 7th Street location had been removed from the premises without the Town’s supervision, as stipulated in B&L’s lawsuit settlement with the Town last November.
Tod requested that the change of address for B&L Liquor Depot be denied because they had violated the conditions of their current license. During cross examination B&L’s Attorney Charlie Wilman asked Tod whether he had “in fact filed numerous complaints” about B&L’s building permit at their new location, 710 Main Street. Tod said he had not filed any complaints and reminded Wilman that he could only question him about his testimony.
“This goes to character,” Wilman said. “I’m allowed to call into question your character.”
So Tod explained that he had filed a couple information requests to find out more information about the building permit.
Anyway the Board dismissed Tod’s testimony and ignored B&L’s liquor license violation and voted 5-0 (Mayor Moore abstained) to approve the change of address. In her comments, Board member Nicky Leigh wondered why they’d wasted an hour and a half.
Evidently in Silt when a citizen files a freedom of information request that automatically calls into question his character. And when a citizen testifies at a public hearing he’s just wasting everyone’s time. That’s something we also saw with the residents who will be impacted by the Mayor’s Autumn Ridge development. Whenever they took the time to testify, whether at a P&Z meeting or Board meeting, they were treated rudely and their comments and concerns were dismissed and ignored.
At the same meeting (5/26) the Board decided to keep the current number of Board members at 6 until the 2010 election because no one has applied for the seat that Tod vacated. Nada. Not one letter of application. At a previous meeting Mayor Pro-tem Robinson had wondered aloud why they can’t get people to serve on the Town Board.
Well duh. Look at how they treat people.
Since Tod resigned from the Board in April we have been amazed and heartened by the dozens upon dozens of people who have gone out of their way to approach Tod (or me, or both of us) and thank him for his service to the community. People have called on the phone, sent letters, emails, and gifts. They’ve stopped us on the street, in the park, and other public places. They’ve even knocked on our door. Many of these people we know and many introduced themselves to us for the first time. During the weeks just after Tod’s resignation, these encounters happened daily – not almost daily – but every single day. Now they still occur on a weekly basis. No one (except Trustee Bobby Hays) has criticized Tod’s decision. Many people said they wondered how he put up with “all the bullshit” for as long as he did.
Several people have expressed concern whether the status of River Park as an off-leash dog park could be in jeopardy since Tod is no longer on the Board. We have told them that we will always have to protect what we have worked hard to preserve, whether or not Tod was on the Board. We Doglanders are without a doubt the most organized and positive force in this Town. We have proven that over and over again through the years. So fear not, my friends, with a couple phone calls and emails, we can pack the Town Hall, should the need ever arise. And we still have the support of the Police Deparment.
Almost everyone told us how they feel about the current town government. These are people who pay attention to and care about what’s going on in their town. People who are eligible to apply for the vacant seat on the Board.
Below are some of those comments. Please note these are not my comments or Tod’s comments. I will not identify who said them because of the first comment.
“They retaliate against anyone who criticizes the Board or the Staff.”
“The Community Development Department is impossible to work with. The Staff is rude. They don’t know the rules and they make applicants jump through hoops.”
“The Board is just a rubber stamp for the Staff, and as a result many of their [Staff’s] actions go unchecked.”
“It’s no secret the Town is having financial problems, but the Board and Staff have no empathy for ordinary citizens’ financial hardships. They don’t cut anyone a break.”
“Betsy [Town Administrator] doesn’t even live in Silt. It’s obvious she looks down on us. She treats us like we’re a bunch of hicks.”
“If you question the actions of a Police Officer you get a citation.”
“Nobody wants to do business in Silt because of this Board and Staff. As a businessperson, I can’t work with them.”
“Everybody knows what a mess the Town is in. And it’s all the fault of this town government.”
“I went to a P&Z meeting and Gale [Community Development Director] asked me why I was there. I mean it was a public meeting and I had to explain what I was doing there.”
“Even though they ask for public input but they don’t really care what the people think. Actions speak louder than words.”
“They’ve fostered an unfriendly atmosphere in the town, which makes people suspicious of town government. It’s like, what are they hiding?”
“Seems like they have quite a cozy little coup going where the Mayor’s development sails through while all the other new developments are bankrupt. Yet they can’t seem to handle a simple annexation like A-1. Really makes you wonder.”
I left out the mean-spirited comments like, “this Board doesn’t have a clue”, “Betsy’s the Wicked Witch of the West”, and “Gale is incompetent” because they don’t serve any purpose. Oops. Guess they slipped out anyway.
The point is the people have responded overwhelmingly. We’re so grateful for their support, and your support. We thank them and we thank you.
However their comments do reveal why no one has applied for Tod’s seat on the Board. So in answer to Mayor Pro-tem Robinson’s ponderings over why they can’t find anyone to serve on the Board, the answer is because the people are mad as hell.
Filed under: Colorado, Encana, Garfield County, Silt, chemicals, clean water, colorado river, cover up, divide creek, drill rigs, drilling, energy companies, environment, fracking, gas well industry, gas wells, impacts, lisa bracken, pollution, west divide creek
Last week on May 14, Lisa Bracken documented in photos and video how Encana workers botched the so-called clean up of a sludge pit full of fracing chemicals. Read the full story at Journey of the Forsaken.
Here’s the video:
As Lisa pointed out, the sludge pit is situated over an aquifer so the buried chemicals will continue to leach into groundwater, wells, and eventually West Divide Creek, and the Colorado River which supplies water for our valley and the western states. We have no way of knowing if our municipal filtration systems or our home filtration systems are capable of filtering out the chemicals because the energy companies will not tell us what chemicals they are using. We have to guess.
After watching the video, a tall cool glass of water will never look the same to me.
And some people still ask, “What’s the big deal about gas well drilling?”
Clean water. That’s the big deal.
Filed under: Akbash, CCD, Divide Creek Animal Hospital, Moab, alaskan malamute, canine compulsive disorder, cesar millan, clomapramine, crazy bitch, dog behavior, dog story, dog whisperer, dogland, dogs, drugs, lab, rehabilitation, river park, tibbetts
On May 12, Venus and I went to see Dr. Cheryl Pearce at DCAH. It was kind of a big day for us. Venus has been on Clomapramine and undergoing rehabilitation using Cesar Millan’s dog psychology method for six months. Dr. Pearce was really impressed with Venus’s progress. We had a good discussion about how far Venus has come and how far she still has to go.
“I’ve done some more research,” Dr. Pearce said. “And what I’m finding is that the dog needs to achieve normal, stable behavior on the drug and continue that way for six months.”
“Okay. Well Cesar says that play comes last,” I said. “Once a dog can socialize and play well with other dogs off leash, then the dog is showing stability. That happened for Venus in March. With Jodie and Hunter’s help she really crossed a threshold.”
I explained that since March we have seen even more progress. Last October Venus attacked Whitney, a White Shepherd, at Dogland. When she sees Whitney now, Venus is calm and just keeps on walking and sniffing. Whitney is still cautious around Venus but no longer fearful. Another dog Molly, a Pit Bull-type mix, did not get along with Venus. We had been leashing Venus when we saw Molly at the park. About a month ago Venus and Molly met on the trail but Venus ignored her. She was too busy playing with Hunter.
Two weeks ago we met a Blue Heeler named Zip on leash on the trail. He was aggressive and immediately zeroed in on the lovely Venus. She was off leash. He snarled and lunged at her.
I spoke sharply, “Hey. Hey. Hey.” And I moved toward them with my hands on my hips.
Venus didn’t even curl her lip or growl. She backed away and walked a wide path around him. The pit bull settled down. We showered her with praise after that big test.
The following weekend, May 1-3, we went camping near Moab. In the past, travel and camping have been challenging for Venus. She used to get over-anxious and misbehave. This time was very different. She waited calmly during the packing up stage. She and Zeus shared the backseat of the pickup together without so much as a grumble. We camped on public land along Gemini Bridges Road. We didn’t have to tie her at the campsite. She staked out a perimeter and kept us in sight when she checked on things. She’s still a checker. She’s part Akbash after all.
Venus is checking for suspicious lizard activity
The real bonus of the weekend turned out to be Zeus. On Saturday afternoon, while we were hiking in the canyon, a storm rolled in complete with lightning, thunder, wind, hail, and torrential rain. Zeus hates thunder. At first he freaked out, panting and running. I caught up to him and snapped on the leash so he wouldn’t flee in blind terror. We took shelter under an overhanging tree. Venus sat calmly near Zeus to show him there was nothing to fear. Tod and I assured him everything was okay. But we didn’t pet him or touch him because it’s not good to give affection when a dog is fearful. Eventually he calmed down. The thunder lasted long after the rain had stopped. Zeus pulled himself together and hiked out of the canyon, unleashed, even as the thunder rumbled.
“Everything is okay, Zeus,” I said calmly
He snorted with disgust, stood up and walked to the camper door. Tod let him in and turned on the satellite radio.
Zeus is listening for unauthorized noises
While Zeus was chilling out in the camper, some guys on dirt bikes rode up to our campsite. As one of them turned his bike around, the engine stalled. Venus charged up to him and barked, then retreated calmly. Her reaction was perfect.
We celebrated Zeus and Venus’s big day with BBQ chicken – their favorite. To top it off they shared the table bed that night with no troubles.
Dr. Pearce agreed that Venus is showing all kinds of progress. “Let’s make sure she can handle all the summer activities and the changes in your schedule.”
I told Dr. Pearce about our neighbors. “We haven’t had any complaints or problems with them lately. But that doesn’t mean anything. We’ve gone for months thinking everything was cool with them and then they call the cops. They will be home more during the summer which means there will be a lot of negative energy directed at us and the dogs. So there’s that, too.”
“I think it’s best for Venus and everyone involved if she stays on the 75 milligrams,” Dr. Pearce. “In September we can re-evaluate her progress and maybe begin weaning her off the drug.”
The last thing we want is a re-lapse. Venus is still making progress on the Clomapramine, she’s learning and remembering what she’s learned. She knows how to calm herself down, she knows how to calm Zeus down. Now she needs to practice, practice, practice.
Since lots of people have been asking how the dogs are getting along, I’ll continue to post progress updates throughout the summer. I can’t wait to see how Zeus handles fireworks on the 4th this year. He usually goes completely insane.
Filed under: bioweapon, colloidal silver, horowitz, novavax, pandemic, swine flu, vaccine
The way this whole swine flu epidemic has played out seemed pretty suspicious to me. Dr. Leonard Horowitz put out a 10- minute video showing evidence that Novavax, a biotechnology corporation specializing in vaccines, may be connected to this latest outbreak of designer flu. Or maybe we should call it swine flu after all because it came from human swine of the corporate kind. We’re all just human guinea pigs.
At the end of the video Horowitz does a little sales pitch for Oxysilver. I don’t take that product. I take colloidal silver, which is less concentrated. We make our own from a kit we bought locally from Essential Sources. Like Dr. Horowitz, I believe flu vaccines are dangerous because they wipe out our bodies’ own natural immune defenses.
Filed under: Colorado, Silt, Supreme Court, annexation, betsy suerth, consulting, development, gale carmoney, gene duran, harassment, janet aluise, planning, tibbetts, town board, town government, unathorized practice of law
Janet Aluise received an unwelcome surprise in the mail recently. It was a packet of information from the Colorado Supreme Court Attorney Regulation Counsel notifying her that Silt Town Attorney Gene Duran had filed a complaint against her for unauthorized practice of law. Duran also requested an investigation. Aluise must respond with a letter by May 2.
Who is Janet Aluise?
From 2000-2007, Janet Aluise served as the Community Development Director for the Town of Silt. After her departure from that position, she formed Aluise Planning Consultants. Until January 2008, her firm was hired as a consultant to the Town of Silt. After she stopped working for the town, Aluise submitted her first application on behalf of her client, Janice Girodo, for annexation and zoning of her 2.3 acre property west of town (site of A-1 Traffic Control and Barricade Company). The client’s son, Cal Whitman worked with Aluise on the application. Fifteen months later the Girodo Annexation has not been finalized, a process that should only take about 6 months. And instead of addressing the applicant’s complaints, Town Attorney Duran is attacking Aluise.
Costly delays
After a year plagued with delays in setting meetings with the Town Planning Department and delays with the Town Engineer’s review process, the Girodo Annexation Zoning and Site Plan Application finally came before the Board of Trustees for a first reading on January 12, 2009. The Ordinances passed at the first reading and the second reading on January 26. At that meeting Aluise pointed out to the Board that the ADA (Annexation and Development Agreement) and the IIA (Infrastructure Improvements Agreement) had not been included in the Board’s or the Public’s copy of the packet for this application, and expressed concern that these documents were referenced in the ordinances and the resolution that the Board had just approved. The staff expressed utter shock at this omission on their part, and stated that although the ordinances and the resolution had just been approved, the Board was required to review the ADA and IIA at the February 9 Board meeting.
However at the February 9 meeting, Trustee Tibbetts stated that the minutes from January 26 did not accurately reflect the motion for approval as he had stated it, and he asked for clarification. Aluise also pointed out at that meeting that the staff had made changes to the agreement that did not reflect what the Board had approved. Because of all the problems with staff stating the Board motions incorrectly and making unauthorized changes to the ADA, the Board agreed to bring the applications back for another discussion at the next meeting.
On March 9, the Board of Trustees again considered the Girodo Annexation. Because the annexation process had taken so long, Cal Whitman informed the Board that he could not afford the conditions in the ADA. The Board requested what conditions could be modified, and then directed staff to work with Whitman and Aluise to complete the project. Yet again it was continued to the next meeting.
Even though they had been directed to do so by the Board, the staff did not request any meetings with Whitman or Aluise between March 9 and March 23. On March 23 the Board approved all of the annexation documents with a few modifications, and again directed staff to make the changes as approved. On March 24, Community Development Director Gale Carmoney sent to Aluise changes to the documents that still did not reflect the Board’s motion. Whitman reviewed the changes made by Carmoney and instructed Aluise to communicate to the Town his disgust for the “back and forth” process and the Town’s inability to get the Board’s motion reflected in the various agreements.
As it stands now, the Board has approved all agreements regarding the Girodo Annexation but the actual ADA documents do not reflect what the Board and the applicant agreed to, therefore the documents have not been signed by the applicant. All of which has cost the applicant nearly $100,000.
Meanwhile trouble was brewing behind the scenes
While the Girodo Annexation was unraveling, instead of working out the issues, the staff set out to discredit Aluise.
On January 16, Aluise submitted an application for out-of-town sewer tap for Simon Casas of the Herons Nest RV Park. Carmoney referred the application to Town Administrator Betsy Suerth. After Aluise’s second request for a status update on February 11, Suerth wrote a scathing email to her and sent copies to Casas and Whitman, whose application was not even involved in the status update request. Suerth stated that Aluise was unprofessional, inappropriate, and incompetent for not knowing the chain of command, claiming that Carmoney was actually in charge of the application, even though he had said he was not. Because of Suerth’s email, Casas fired Aluise on February 16. Aluise demanded an apology from Suerth. However she did not apologize and further defamed Aluise in another email, which she again copied to the applicants. Aluise notified Suerth that she was contemplating legal action.
Duran conjures up a trap
The very next day, February 12, Town Attorney Duran emailed Aluise and requested the name of Whitman’s attorney. Whitman told her to ignore Duran’s request. On February 20, Duran again requested the name of Whitman’s attorney. Whitman instructed Aluise to tell Duran that he did not want to accrue more legal costs and therefore would not divulge his attorney’s name. On March 25, Duran wrote to Whitman and again requested the name of his attorney.
On April 6, Duran contacted Aluise’s attorney, Christopher McAnany, to bully him into divulging the name of Whitman’s attorney, even though McAnany was not involved in that application and didn’t know Whitman. Duran claimed that he needed to verify with Whitman’s attorney that the legal documents had been reviewed, implying that if he was not provided with the attorney’s name he would have to assume Whitman does not have an attorney and he would be obligated to ensure that there is not an unauthorized practice of law.
Duran claimed that at the February 9 Board meeting, Aluise stated that Whitman’s attorney had recommended that the ADA could not be signed until the Board approved the amendment. Therefore Duran felt he needed to identify the attorney, and if he wasn’t able to then he would be required to report Aluise for unauthorized practice of law.
According to Aluise, her attorney insists she is not obligated to disclose the attorney’s name and the fact that she has not done so, does not prove that she engaged in unauthorized practice of law. “Duran’s complaint is outrageous,” Aluise said. “All I did at the February 9 meeting was pass along to the Board what my client told me his attorney had advised. That advice certainly did not come from me.”
In his April 13 complaint letter to the Colorado Supreme Court, Duran wrote, “despite my efforts neither Ms. Aluise nor her client has identified the attorney. Therefore, I have concluded that Ms. Aluise is practicing law by drafting legal documents, negotiating the terms of the legal documents, and representing her client in legal maters before the Town of Silt.”
However Colorado Supreme Court documents state: “Local government authorities may also allow engineers or development planners to participate and represent others in county commissioner and land use planning matters.”
In her own defense Aluise said, “All of my agreements, as well as other applicant agreements, are and have been negotiated in the same manner. There is no code forbidding agreements from being negotiated in this manner.” Aluise says no one from the town staff ever notified her of any changes in that policy, adding, “Neither Mr. Duran or the Town has ever altered the manner of negotiating these agreements. In fact, Mr. Duran was not present at any of the meetings during the Girodo Annexation. Not one. Mr. Carmoney negotiated all the terms with me.”
The only response from Board members has come from Trustee Tibbetts who resigned. When asked if he resigned in protest, Tibbetts responded, “I think my letter speaks for itself. I did not want to be associated with the town staff’s heavy-handed tactics against not only Ms. Aluise but other citizens as well.” Tibbetts resigned on April 7, almost a week before Duran filed his complaint. When asked about the discrepancy Tibbetts said, “There’s no discrepancy. Attorney Duran made it perfectly clear to the Board what his intentions were. I felt I had to resign before he acted on those intentions in order to make it perfectly clear that I did not approve of his actions and furthermore for my own peace of mind, make sure that I was not involved. It is not clear to me whether Duran even obtained Board approval for his complaint against Ms. Aluise. That is a question that certainly needs to be answered.”
Tibbetts added that he believes Duran’s complaint against Aluise has no merit. “It’s ridiculous. Ms. Aluise was just doing her job.”
Aluise maintains her innocence and is currently in the process of filing an affidavit with the Colorado Supreme Court.
Filed under: Colorado, Silt, baby, baby leg covers, baby toys, cloth diapers, green bambino, green business, handmade
From Peggy: My guest blogger today is my daughter, Ema Kwiatkowski. She would like to introduce my readers to her new business venture Green Bambino. Check it out!
Greetings,
My good friend Danielle and I are starting our own retail business. We eventually want to sell cloth diapers and other green baby gear both locally and on the internet. We both feel that this is the perfect time to get into a business like this. It is great for the environment, and people are choosing cloth over disposable diapers for financial reasons…as with everything else, the price of diapers has gone way up.
We say ‘eventually’ because right now we are both full of ideas, and crafting skill but desperately cash poor. Neither of us are in a position where we can go ask the bank for money, so we are stuck raising startup capital ourselves. This is where you can help us!
We have started a store called Green Bambino. Right now we are selling small handmade baby toys, wetbags, diaper rash powder and baby leg covers (for crawling and cooler spring weather) at our online store at Green Bambino at Etsy.
Take a minute, and go check out our store. If you have a new baby, buy s/he a new handmade toy. If you know someone who just had a baby, pass on our link. We are adding new products every day! The more we sell, the quicker we can get on to making and carrying brands of cloth diapers, which is what people really want.
Don’t want to shop, then head on over to our Green Bambino website and sign up for our mailing list and a chance to win a wetbag. You will receive announcements on new products, sales and cloth diapering information and tips.
You can also become a fan of our store at Facebook, and follow us on twitter.
Hope to see you at our store!
Ema Kwiatkowski
& Danielle Campbell-Monger
Green Bambino on Etsy
Green Bambino website
And here he is, our new little star, Bodi
